Golf-club shaft



W. R. FORSYTH ,GOLF CLUB SHAFT Filed March 21. 1921 A TTU/@N5 Y.

Patented Mar.. 11, 19240 narran staresV rattan rarest caricao WILLIAM R. FORSYTH, 0F SWAIVIPSCOTT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO CEGSS ROD AND TACKLE COMPANY, OF LYNN, MSMCHUSETTS, A CORPORATIG'N @F MASSA- CHUSETTS.

GOLF-CLUB SHAFT.

application mea naar a1, 1921. ammiro. 454,034.

To all rwlw/m, 'it may concer/n.'

Beit known that I, WILLIAM R. FoRsYTH, a citizen of the ,United States, residing at Swampscott, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Golf-Club Shaft, of which the following is a specification.

This invention, while of general application to the shafts of golf clubs, is of peculiar utility in connection with those such as drivers or brassies, which are used for obtaining distance on the links.

rlhe present invention has for its object to provide a golf shaft which is light, strong, of uniform feel to the player in different clubs, and with which maximum distance may be obtained.

To this end, the improved golf shaft is provided with a plurality of longitudinally extended sections or members of bamboo or like cane, which members are arranged with their hard layers forming the outer surface of the shaft and firmly secured together.

In the accompanying drawings, a particular embodiment of the invention is illustrated, Figure 1 being a broken perspective View of a golf club, in which my improved shaft is included; Fig. 2, a transverse section through said shaft; and Fi .3,abroken pngitudinal section on the ine 3-3 of 'he shaft A herein shown, whichl carries the head B, and has a grip portion 10 of maximum diameter by which the club is grasped, gradually tapers longitudinally in one direction from the grip to a contracted waist portion 11, and again tapers in the opposite direction to the end 12, ordinarily of less diameter than the grip. The end 12 in the shaft herein illustrated is adapted for insertion in the socket 13 of the head B, and will be hereinafter referred t0 as the head end of the shaft. The head B is herein represented as of metal, but Ait may be of wood vor other suitable material.

rlhe shaft is constructed of a plurality of longitudinally extended sections or members generally sector-shaped considered transversely, continuing unbroken from the grip through the waist to the head' end, and formed from bamboo or like cane, having at the outside a relatively thin, closely packed layer a, of great hardness, strength and resilience, and which will be hereinafter referred to as the hard layer, and having an inner softer layer t commonly known as the pith layer.

'llhe longitudinally extended sections or members of the golf shaft are made from strips of the bamboo or like cane, which strips are rendered substantially smooth on their inner and outer surfaces, and when the cane is not of suflicient thickness two strips 14, 15 are glued or otherwise firmly secured together with the hard layer a of the inner strip in contact with the pith layer b of the outer strip, to form a combined strip from which the shaft members shown in Fig. 2 may be formed. As illustrated in Fig. 2, the inner strip 14C of each shaft section or member is of substantially triangular cross-section, with the apices of the triangles located at the axis of the shaft, and the angles between the sides are such that they combine to form a hexagon. The outer strip 15 of each of the shaft members or sections is substantially a trapezoid. The outer sides of the outer sections, that is the bases of the trapezoids, depart from straight lines, being slightly curved, since they preferably follow the natural contour of the outer layer of the cane. The outer sides of the inner strips may be somewhat reduced along the centers to give substantially plane surfaces to facilitate joining to the outer strips. This reduced portion preferably does not go entirely through the hard layer.

The strips comprising a shaft member or section are glued or otherwise firmly secured together, and may be cut from the cane in the form in which they are assembled, and they may be bent or molded, so that when the shaft members are brought together to form a shaft with enlarged ends and contracted waist, as herein shown, the continuity of the hard layers over the ex'- terior of both stri s will be maintained both longitudinally and circumfere'ntially of the shaft and produces a symmetrical relation between the shaft members at all transverse sections, the hard layer of the inner strip being substantially midway between the axis of the shaft and the outer hard layer thereof, as represented in F ig. 3. There is thus produced a shaft of extreme lightness and almost absolutely straight ain, of a high degree of continuity, especially in the best portions of the cane, and of remarkable strength.

rEhe natural resilience of the cane which lill@ head meets the has a higher rate and a greater amplitude of vibration than hickory or like Wood largely used in the manufacture of golf shafts, is of decided advantage in a golf shaft, as it imparts to the golf shaft the desirable snap due to the quicker return of the shaft from its rearward deflection-when the club olf ball on the downstroke of the club, which results in the golf ball being propelled a greater distance, especially in the case of the driver, brassie, or like club having a Wooden head. Furthermore the bamboo or like cane golf shafts herein described can be made uniform, so that when incorporated in the different clubs, including the irons they have the same feel to the layer, which is highly desirable, as it enables the player to use each club with the same confidence.

By the term bamboo as used in the claims I desire to be understood as using the wor generically so as to include natural canes of this class. In the present instance, the invention is shown in a golf shaft which is inclined in one direction from the grip end to the Waist portion and yis inclined in the opposite direction to the head end and further is used with a socketed head, but it is not desired to limit the invention to this Particular construction or shape of shaft.

l claim:

l. A golf club shaft having a pluralit of longitudinally extended sections or mem ers of bamboo cane firmly secured together and arranged with the hard layer of the cane forming the exterior surface of the shaft.

` 2. A olf club shaft having a pluralit of longitu inally extended sections or mem ers of bamboo cane provided with substantially smooth exterior surfaces and firmly secured together With the hard layer of the cane forming the exterior surface of the shaft.

3. A olf club shaft having a plurality of longitu inally extended sections of bamboo cane rmly secured together and each comprising a plurality of strips of bamboo cemented together with the hard layer of the inner strip afxed to the pith layer of the outer strip and with the hard layer of the latter strip forming a section of the outer surface of the shaft.

4. A olf club shaft comprising a plurality of ongitudinally extended sections of bamboo cane arranged in a plurality of layers between the exterior and the axis of the shaft and with the hard portion of the outer layers forming the exterior surface of the shaft.

5. A golf club shaft comprising` a plurality of longitudinally extending sections of bamboo larranged with the hard layers of said sections on the exterior of Said shaft.

6. A golf club shaft having between its ends a contracted portion and comprising a plurality of longitudinally extended sections of bamboo cane with the hard layer thereof arranged toward the exterior and formed to furnish the contracted portion While maintaining the continuity of the hard layer over the outer sides of the sections.

7. A olf club shaft having a grip, head end an intermediate Waist portion, and comprisin a plurality of sections of bambooexten ing continuously from the grip to the head end with the hard layer 'at the exterior of the shaft, said sections being formed' to furnish the varying contour of the grip, waist and head end While maintainin the continuity of the hard layer over t. e exterior of the shaft.

8. A golf club shaft having a grip, a head end and an intermediate Waist portion, and comprising a plurality of sections of bamboo arranged in inner and outer layers extending continuously from the grip to the head end With the hard surface at the exterior of both layers, said sections being formed to furnish the varying contour of the grip, waist and head end While maintaining continuity of the hard surface over the exterior of the layers.

9. A shaft for golf clubs having a plurality of members of bamboo or 'like cane substantially triangular in cross section and cemented together with the apices of the triangles forming a substantially straight center or axial line and With their harder outer surfaces tapering in opposite directions.

10. A shaft for golf clubs having a plurality of members of bamboo or like cane substantially triangular in cross section and firmly secured together with the apices of the triangles formmg a substantially straight center or axial line and With their harder outer surfaces tapering in opposite directions.

11. A shaft for golf clubs having a plurality of members of bamboo or like cane rmly secured together with their harder outer surfaces tapering in opposite directions and of substantially uniform thickness for the length of the shaft.

12. A shaft for golf clubs having a plurality of members of bamboo or like cane firmly secured together with their harder outer surfaces tapering in opposite directions, of substantially7 uniform thickness for the length of the shaft and substantially circular in cross section.

13. A shaft for golf clubs having a plurality of members of bamboo or like cane secured together about a common center with the harder layer of the cane forming the outer surface of the shaft and provided with oppositely tapering portions.

14. A shaft for golf clubs having a plurality of members of bamboo or like cane firmly secured together and provided with a reetivey bard layer ei? snbstentey uni-a form thickness and 'with e pth laye? of different thicknesses with that of the least thickness between its ends,

l5. A shaft for geit ebubs having e plueelity of members ci bamboe or like cene firmly seemed togetbee end comprising an Ive eutete strip of cene and en. inne@7 stbp o cane having its pth layer reduced in thickn ness between its ends.

Signed et Lynn, in the county of Essex andi State of b/essachusetts7 this fifteenth day bflerch, 1921? V/VLLAM R., TEL 

